Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out against airport body scanners, insisting that "human dignity must be preserved".

Although the Pontiff did not use the words "body scanner" during the audience with airport workers, he said: "It is above all essential to protect and value the human person in their integrity."

Acknowledging that airports were in the forefront of the terrorist threat and suffering economically, he added: "Even in this situation, one must never forget that respecting the primacy of the human person and attention to his or her needs does not make the service less efficient nor penalise economic management."

The use of scanners has caused controversy because the equipment makes people appear naked.